Tune into change —

iTunes expected to get much-needed makeover by end of 2012

New music-sharing features and iCloud integration may be in the cards.

Apple is gearing up to make some serious changes to the multiheaded beast known as iTunes, according to sources speaking to Bloomberg. A makeover of iTunes is expected to come before the end of 2012 and will reportedly focus on integration with iCloud to give users the ability to sync their media, but the software may also gain a new sharing feature as part of the update.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is already negotiating with music labels to allow users to listen to songs for free if they are shared by a friend—a model tried by many online music services that set a "free play" limit before requiring a paid download or subscription. If Apple is able to add such a feature, it would help iTunes stay competitive with Spotify. Some (including Spotify's own executives) believe that while Apple still maintains the number one spot in music sales, Apple has felt threatened by Spotify's entry into the US market.

The report comes the same week as Apple's release of a new Podcasts app for iOS users. The move indicates that the company is working to separate certain features out of iTunes in order to slim down the overcrowded "do everything" app. Previous rumors also indicated that Apple may move iTunes U out of the main iTunes software as well, adding support to this theory. (iTunes U already has its own independent app for iOS that was released earlier this year.) While we're not sure yet how we feel about the usability of splitting out all these apps, we are glad to hear that Apple may be working to un-cruft-ify its iTunes software, and we're looking forward to seeing what the end result will look like when it is released.

Jacqui Cheng
Jacqui is an Editor at Large at Ars Technica, where she has spent the last eight years writing about Apple culture, gadgets, social networking, privacy, and more. Emailjacqui@arstechnica.com//Twitter@eJacqui